INDECOM probes 'weird' police shooting

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Director of Complaint at The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) western regional office in Montego Bay, Errol Chattoo, said that the circumstances surrounding the shooting of two police personnel at the Ramble Police Station in Hanover last weekend are hazy.

A district constable's (DC) firearm went off, injuring the other two lawmen. His report of the incident given to INDECOM conflicts with that given to the media by the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) of the JCF.

"The DC said that he collected his gun in the guardroom and the gun went off. There is still not a proper explanation as how the gun went off," Chattoo said. "We haven't gotten any report of any playing taking place, we haven't gotten any report of any malice, and we haven't gotten any report of any gun being loaded."

According to the CCU, while the district constable was loading his firearm, it allegedly went off and injured a sergeant and a female constable in the guardroom last Saturday.

Seeking their accounts

It is reported that the injured police personnel were taken to hospital but were treated and released on the same day.

Chattoo said that he is still seeking their accounts of what happened.

Senior superintendent of police, Steve McGregor, who heads the community safety and security branch of the JCF, said this incident and similar ones can't be used "to make a blanket conclusion that police are careless with their guns."

He outlined the possible punishments for the cop.

"If we find that there is negligence and carelessness, members can be charged criminally. They can be charged departmentally and members will be sent back to the academy for remedial training before they are issued with firearm again," McGregor explained.